Psychology, Journalism, and Instructional Plaza – UGA 64, 62 and 66 (1969, Category 3). Directly across Baldwin Street from LeConte Hall is a complex that includes the Journalism and Psychology buildings, constructed in 1969. The taller structure to the east houses the Department of Psychology, while the section to the west is the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, which administers the George F. Peabody Awards. Raised, one-story Instructional Plaza links the two buildings and includes two small auditorium buildings. This site was formerly where Woodruff Hall, a gymnasium, and varsity tennis courts stood until Stegeman Coliseum was constructed in 1964.
The Journalism and Psychology complex was completed during an intensive period of new construction activity at the University in the late 1960s. The buildings are of crisp Mid-Century Modern design and are representative of many of the style’s positive and negative characteristics; the interiors of the buildings are utilitarian, with a lot of painted concrete block, and many interior spaces do not have access to windows and light, and Instructional Plaza is exposed to the sun and wind and is rarely used as a public gathering space. The complex features a painted concrete structure with infilled panels of brick or glass window walls. The Journalism Building has large window walls that look out over the landscaped area toward Baldwin Street and over the plaza. The concrete framework of the Psychology Building is mostly infilled with brick with a few small windows that limit the amount of light and air available to interior spaces.
The buildings, together with its plaza, have a high degree of historic integrity and appear to have been changed very little since their construction. They appear to contribute to a National Register-eligible historic district and are assessed as a Category 2 resource.
